Triangle Town Center's event listings still give directions by department store. The food truck rodeo is in the Dillard's and Barnes & Noble lot. The November car show is in the lot outside The Commons, next to Macy's. Earlier this fall, a touring circus set up in the Saks lot. Two of those three stores were scheduled to close this spring and are no longer listed in the mall's store directory, but their parking lots still carry the names.
For anyone in Wakefield or along Capital Boulevard near I-540, that changes how December at the mall works. This season's calendar isn't built around a big department store anchoring the holiday shopping. It's built around events that outside groups run on the mall's open pavement and in its center court. Three of the four big dates are listed as free, and Santa photos don't require a reservation. The stores that are still open sit around all of them.
What left in the spring
Saks Global announced on March 6 that its Triangle Town Center store would close, according to the News & Observer. CBS 17 reported the planned timing as "by the first of May." On Friday, April 24, ABC11 reported that Macy's would close that Sunday, with its merchandise marked 80 percent off. Sears had closed before either of them. The News & Observer listed Belk and Dillard's among the mall's original anchors. Both are still listed in the mall's current store directory, along with Barnes & Noble.
According to CBS 17, New York-based Summit Properties USA bought the roughly 70-acre property in 2024. When ABC11 asked what would replace the two anchors, Denis Nezaj of Summit Properties sent this statement:
"Vacancies are opportunities to repurpose space into something more relevant - whether it be entertainment, paddle sports, or demising for smaller users - that drives visitors and customers to the property."
This holiday season, the draw comes from two places: the parking lots outside the anchor buildings and the mall's own Center Court.
The calendar, by location
Here is what the mall had posted as of early November. Each event has its own host, setting and hours.
| Date | Event | Location on the property | Run by | Admission |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 14 | NC Throwdown Food Truck Rodeo | Dillard's / Barnes & Noble parking lot | NC Throwdown | Free |
| Nov. 21 to Dec. 24, select dates | Santa Photos | Lower Level Center Court | Hagood Photography | No reservations; package pricing to be announced |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Caffeine and Machines car show | Parking lot outside The Commons, by the Macy's building | Not named on the listing | Free |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | 5th Annual Candy Cane Stroll | Throughout the mall | Senior Network | Free |
Three of the four are on Saturdays. Two of them happen in the lots outside an anchor, one still in the directory and one no longer listed.
Nov. 14 puts dinner in the Dillard's lot
The first event on the list is the longest. NC Throwdown's food truck rodeo runs Saturday, Nov. 14, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the lot shared by Dillard's and Barnes & Noble. The listing promises more than 20 local food truck vendors, a bouncy house for kids and covered seating. Admission is free.
Because it runs ten hours, you can treat it as lunch or as dinner. Mall shopping hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on a normal day, so the trucks keep serving for an hour after the stores close. The location fits the pattern of this season. The host comes from outside, and the stores that are still open frame the space.
Santa stays inside at Center Court
The one major holiday tradition still held indoors is Santa photos, presented by Hagood Photography in Lower Level Center Court. They begin Saturday, Nov. 21, and reservations aren't required. The schedule changes after Thanksgiving weekend, so check which week you're in before you go:
- Sat., Nov. 21: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Sun., Nov. 22: noon to 6 p.m.
- Fri., Nov. 27 through Sun., Nov. 29: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. Sunday
- Dec. 4 through 23, weekdays: 4 to 7 p.m.
- Dec. 4 through 23, Saturdays: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Dec. 4 through 23, Sundays: noon to 6 p.m.
- Thu., Dec. 24: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
There are no Santa hours listed between Monday, Nov. 30, and Thursday, Dec. 3. Pet Nights are Friday, Dec. 4, and Friday, Dec. 11, from 4 to 7 p.m. As of early November, the mall lists the date and time for Sensory Santa as still to be confirmed, and photo package pricing will be announced later.
Two Saturdays where the lot and the court overlap
The calendar works best on the two Saturdays when outdoor and indoor events run on the same day.
Saturday, Nov. 28. Caffeine and Machines, a free car show, runs from 8 to 11 a.m. in the lot outside The Commons, beside the Macy's building. Santa starts at 11 a.m. in Center Court, right as the car show ends. It's the Saturday after Thanksgiving, so a family could see the cars, get Santa photos and shop on one parking ticket.
Saturday, Dec. 5. Senior Network hosts its 5th annual Candy Cane Stroll starting at 11 a.m. Unlike the other events, it uses the whole building. The listing calls it a mall-wide holiday community event with live entertainment, holiday vendors, senior community outreach services, sponsor giveaways and a local radio presence. Admission is free. Santa is in Center Court from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. that day, and Pet Night is the evening before.
Several other items stay on the calendar all season and run past it. The mall lists a Mall Walking Program that runs through December 31, 2027, and a Senior Day series that runs through Dec. 18. The directory also lists All In Adventures and A Toda Madre for an indoor stop between events.
The hours that change
The mall's usual hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. These are the posted exceptions:
- Thursday, Nov. 26: closed for Thanksgiving
- Friday, Nov. 27: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. for Black Friday
- Saturday, Dec. 19: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Sunday, Dec. 20: noon to 7 p.m.
- Monday, Dec. 21 through Wednesday, Dec. 23: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Thursday, Dec. 24: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Friday, Dec. 25: closed
- Thursday, Dec. 31: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
On Christmas Eve, Santa leaves Center Court at 4 p.m., two hours before the mall closes at 6 p.m. Individual stores may keep different hours, and the mall's hours page has a search for tenant hours.
Macy's and Saks no longer appear in the mall's directory, and this season's events are happening around their buildings. I keep a close eye on changes like this along the Capital Boulevard corridor because they affect daily life in Northeast Raleigh long before they show up in any market report. If you have a question about how changes at Triangle Town Center might affect your corner of 27616, I'd love to hear from you. Call Tammy at Alexander Realty, LLC.